1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to an ashtray apparatus and, more particularly, to an ashtray apparatus which has a removable handle capable of storage within the ashtray itself during storage and transport, wherein such an ashtray likewise facilitates the retention of a cigarette, as well as the extinguishing and disposal thereof.
2. Background Art
The use of ashtray apparatuses has been known in the art for countless years. As such, improvements to the ashtray have been made to facilitate the retention, extinguishing, and/or disposal of cigarettes. While such designs have been developed, there have nevertheless been a plurality of drawbacks associated with prior designs. For example, prior designs generally include an integrated handle which may limit the flexibility and usability of the ashtray apparatus. Moreover, ashtrays having integrated handles are generally costly to package and ship inasmuch as they have an odd shape and configuration. As a result, packaging containers for such ashtrays have a volume which remains largely empty when packed with said ashtrays. Furthermore, many ashtray apparatuses are not properly sized to receive a cigarette butt, especially when the cigarette is extinguished prior to being fully spent. Further still, many extinguishing ashtrays are molded from a plastic material which, typically, quickly becomes discolored, melted, and/or burned after only a short usage time.
As a result, it is an object of the present invention to overcome the deficiencies, drawbacks, and/or complications of the prior art.